ALBANY -- The amount of overtime clocked by state employees is rising at a steady clip, with the amount paid in 2012 — $529 million — reaching a five-year high, according to a report issued Tuesday by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

That's about 3.6 percent of the total state agency payroll, DiNapoli said, and an 11 percent increase from 2011. According to a 12-page report from DiNapoli's office, the increase is more than 11 percent higher than figures from 2007, before the financial crisis strained the state budget. At one point in the Paterson administration, state officials tried to crack down on the use of overtime.

"State agencies spent nearly $52 million more on overtime in 2012 than the year before for nearly 14.5 million hours of overtime," DiNapoli said in a statement. "We found seven agencies with more than 25 percent of employees working overtime to meet their responsibilities. New York State policy requires limiting overtime to a minimum, and I urge all agencies to ensure that this expense is reduced whenever possible."